1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intraluminal sensor design for multifunctional characterization of injured, stunned, infarcted myocardium, atherosclerotic plagues and tumors.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an intraluminal sensor design for multifunctional characterization of injured, stunned, infarcted myocardium, atherosclerotic plagues and tumors, where the sensor includes
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,279 to Klavenes, et al. discloses the use of a magneto sensor magnetometer to detect magnetic changes in vivo. U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,946 to Weiteschies, et al. discloses the use of a magneto sensor detector to measure the spacial distribution of relaxing magnetic markers in vivo. U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,849 to Kuc, et al. discloses the use of magneto sensor magnetometers for measuring magnetic field intensity. U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,902 to Koch, et al. discloses the use of a magneto sensor detector to detect small amounts of bound analytes in a solution. U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,515 to Kresse, et al. discloses the use of nanoparticles comprising an iron containing core and a targeting polymer coating to determine the biological behavior of the nanoparticles.
However, there is still a need in the art for intraluminal sensors for multifunctional characterization of injured, stunned, infarcted myocardium, atherosclerotic plagues and tumors.